Rice:

1. To boil, take 5 mugs of water in a large pot, with 2 tsp salt, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. When the water reaches a boil, add the drained rice and cook for only 7-8 minutes until the rice is almost fully cooked.
2. Drain and set aside.

Chicken Tikka:

1. Mix all the spices, yogurt, garlic, ginger, and oil in a bowl. Take the chicken into a large mixing bowl and pour over the marinade. Toss the chicken well with the marinade and let it sit for 2 hours at room temperature or refrigerator.
2. After marination is complete, preheat the oven to 380 Degrees F and bake the chicken on a greased baking tray until cooked, about 45 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway into the baking.
3. Set aside your baked Chicken Tikka.

Biryani:

1. For the gravy, in a large pot, heat 1 cup of oil and saute the thinly sliced onions while stirring every few minutes. Once the onions are a rich golden color, remove half of the fried onions onto a plate (use later for garnishing). I
2. Add ginger and garlic paste to the remaining onions in the pot and saute for a few seconds until the garlic and ginger are lightly golden.
3. Now add all your whole spices and ground spices listed to the pot, except for the dry plums. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, add in the crushed tomatoes and yogurt. Stir well and cook on medium heat until the gravy starts releasing oil on the sides of the pan, and the gravy looks richer in color. About 5-7 minutes. Add salt to taste.
4. Add the dry plums to the gravy and stir well, cook for another 2 minutes. The gravy should look red in color now and no liquid from the yogurt will be left. At this point add the cooked Tikka pieces to the gravy and stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 minutes.
5. When the chicken is done cooking in the gravy, layer the chicken with the parboiled rice. (Just rice no liquid)
6. Garnish the top of the rice with fried onions, chopped cilantro, and some green chilies. For a rich color and to create steam, take 1/2 cup warm milk with a pinch of saffron or pinch of yellow food color and stir into the milk. Pour this milk over the rice. Cover the pot of biryani and turn the heat to very low. Let biryani steam for 15-20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked. Turn the gas off and gently toss the rice and chicken together so that the rice can combine with the chicken.
7. A beautiful, flavorful, Tikka Biryani is ready! Serve with chutney or raita.